Population
The population of Northern African and Southwestern Asia is mostly populated near a water source, such as the Mediterranean and Red Seas, the Persian Gulf, and in the fertile valleys of the Nile and the Tigris-Euphrates River. Moderate densities can be found in Turkey and western Iran. The rest of the region is mostly empty. The population of all the countries in the region is increasing by more than one third over the next 20 years. Falling death rates along with increasing birth rates result in the rapid population growth. The world's highest fertility rates, 6.5 children per woman, are kept in Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.
The population of Northern African and Southwestern Asia is mostly populated near a water source, such as the Mediterranean and Red Seas, the Persian Gulf, and in the fertile valleys of the Nile and the Tigris-Euphrates River. Moderate densities can be found in Turkey and western Iran. The rest of the region is mostly empty. The population of all the countries in the region is increasing by more than one third over the next 20 years. Falling death rates along with increasing birth rates result in the rapid population growth. The world's highest fertility rates, 6.5 children per woman, are kept in Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.